Member News!

Darlene McCoy, RI - Winner of the $1000 Urban Land Economics Student Award.

Darlene McCoy is an appraiser with BC Assessment in Victoria, BC.  This was her goal for employment when starting a new career path; having worked abroad and in Corporate Communications.  She began working on her Diploma in Urban Land Economics while being home with her 2 children for a number of years, is married to a supportive husband and is an active volunteer in her community.  

This generous award from the Real Estate Institute of BC came was a surprise honour and the prize has benefited the charities that Darlene is passionate about. 

Jennifer Dennis, RI - Winner of the $500 Urban Land Economics Student Award.

During my last year of university I took my first course with UBC’s Real Estate program.  While at this time I did not enter the real estate industry, I took another course as I found it to be an interesting subject.  A few years later I started working for BC Assessment as an Appraisal Assistant.  It was here that I got a chance to speak to various appraisers and learn more about the industry.  When the first chance to apply for an Appraiser position came up I took it – the few courses I had taken prior to this definitely helped me to prepare for the testing and interview. 

I have been working at BC Assessment as an Appraiser ever since.  Completing the Urban Land Economics Diploma through UBC has given me the technical knowledge and theory to become a proficient appraiser and an RI member. 

I gained an all-around knowledge for real estate from the program, but I also gained more confidence in my position after completing the higher level appraisal courses.

Doug Gilchrist takes to the stage!

Doug Gilchrist, RI from the City of Kelowna will be speaking at the BC Expropriation Association Fall Conference. Doug is speaking on October 29^th at 9 a.m. and his talk is titled “From Rail Corridor to Recreation Gateway”. Doug negotiated the CN acquisition from Kelowna to Vernon.

He will be teaming up with Bill Aujla from the City of Vancouver who negotiated the Arbutus CP Corridor acquisition. 

Valuing Diversity Conference Follow up

In May REIBC and AIC-BC held their joint conference, Valuing Diversity.  

The two charities of choice for the Valuing Diversity conference are Habitat for Humanity and Make-A-Wish Foundation of BC & Yukon.

REIBC Governor Dan Wilson and AIC-BC Past President, presented a cheque to Pat McKenna, Executive Director of the Habitat for Humanity, Vancouver Island North in the amount of $1000 from the conference. 

Guess What?!

The REIBC is advertising!  We are pleased to share that the REIBC will be implementing an exciting advertising campaign through transit, social media and the 24hrs newspaper.  
After an amazing year of re-branding and the creation and launch of the Strata Governance Certificate Training Program we are now letting people know.  

Our advertising campaign will focus on the Strata Governance Certificate Training program and will be branded to follow the theme of the new RI brand.  We are launching the campaign October 3 and will run through the fall!

Our goal continues to be focused on making sure the public see’s our RI’s as designated, educated, experienced and connected! What better way to let the public know than in a big way across the province!!  Any questions, please feel free to speak to Maggie at mhill@reibc.org 

Interested in taking our Strata Governance Certificate Program? Register here

Meet A Member

In an effort to meet more of our members, we will be showcasing member profiles in our monthly eNews.  Let us know if you would like to be the next member featured!

Meet Blake Newton, Student Member  

I started my Real Estate career in July, 2016 after graduating from the BCIT Real Estate Program. I currently work with MAC Marketing Solutions, a real estate sales and marketing company, as a Sales Coordinator in the Presentation Centre at Edgemont Village. At this stage in my career I am studying for my Real Estate License exam. In my position at MAC Marketing solutions I process contracts and facilitate communication between purchasers and developers; it’s such an awesome opportunity to learn this process from start to finish before becoming a sales representative. In the next couple of years I hope to become a well-versed and successful sales representative, capable of educating purchasers on any project or development I have the opportunity to represent. Within ten years my goal is to have mastered the art of sales and ultimately take on the role of sales manager or sales director!

On a personal note, others might be surprised to find out that I was a tree planter for BlueCollar Silviculture in northern BC. Silviculture is the practice of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health and quality of forests. On my very best day of tree planting I managed to plant over 5,000 trees! My family also has a tradition at Christmas; every year we wake up at 6:30 am and head straight to the mountain. We always aim to be the first skiers on the mount and we spend the day skiing on Whistler. Our family is composed of avid powder skiers who grew up racing and coaching, so, what better way to spend the holiday. 

Meet Don Burrell, RI

When I was called to the bar in 1982, career prospects for a new lawyer were not good. I took a series of short term contracts with the Attorney General's Ministry. By 1985 I was entertaining thoughts of a career change and took someone's advice and enrolled in the Diploma Program in Urban Land Economics and joined REIBC, as a student member. A year later, while working at Expo 86, I secured a junior lawyer's position with a small firm in Langley. I also continued on with the Diploma Program, which I eventually completed in 1990.

Because of my growing interest in real estate, my early practice concentrated on residential conveyancing and mortgages. To this day, residential conveyancing remains a large part of my practice and the fundamentals learned in the Diploma Program provided a great foundation for my solicitor's real estate practice. I enjoy my conveyancing practice because it allows me to meet and work with ordinary people in the Valley who are buying and selling their homes. Many of my friends I met originally as clients or real estate contacts.

People are surprised to learn that after practising for four years in Langley, I took a break from private practice and spent three and one-half years in a management position with the Real Estate Division.

Just over five years ago my partner, Steve Fruitman, and I formed Magellan Law Group LLP in Langley. Magellan is focussed on business law and my particular areas of practice include commercial lending, wills and estates and, of course, residential and commercial conveyancing. Steve concentrates on sophisticated corporate work (tax-based reorganizations, mergers and acquisitions), trusts and estate planning. Steve and I have been working diligently to create a "downtown firm in Langley" and we have been able to attract large corporate clients who have chosen to obtain their legal service in Langley rather than making the trek into downtown Vancouver. We started out with seven staff and are now twenty-three in number, including six lawyers and we're looking to add three or four additional lawyers.

Building a growing and successful law firm has left little time for personal pursuits over the last five years; although I do enjoy a glass of good red wine and getting away once or twice a year to Palm Springs.

Meet Dan McCarthy, RI

In 1988, after working 13 years as a tradesman in the mechanical division of B. C. Rail, I shifted course and started my real estate career at WPJ McCarthy & Company Ltd. as a project manager with responsibility for the administration of all leasehold improvements, maintenance programs and capital projects. The coordination of these projects and liaison with groups as diverse as city hall, contractors, appraisers and tenants built a great foundation for a career in property management.

During this time, I relocated to the lower mainland, with a young family and began working on my CPM designation while attending classes at UBC, obtaining my Diploma in Urban Land Economics (appraisal) and soon after, my RI designation in 1994. At this time I also got my real estate license and was mainly focused on commercial and industrial leasing. Looking back now, I wonder how people did it, before cellphones and the internet (if you haven’t figured it out yet, I was born before 1960!).

A few years later I acquired my own real estate brokerage and began doing residential sales, leasing and commercial property management. In 2005 I joined RE/MAX Central in Burnaby with a focus on residential sales as well as leasing. I have also done fundamental training of new REALTOR’s and have acted as the firm’s Managing Broker.

A lifetime resident of greater Vancouver, I enjoy woodworking, golf & auto racing (for the past 17 years I have turned wrenches and manned the team communications headset on a friend’s sports car, road racing throughout the Pacific Northwest).

Trivia: my brother Bill McCarthy, RI and I are the only brothers to win the Burnaby South Rebels Rugby team’s MVP award.

Make A Wish Foundation

The REIBC continues to receive updates on the great wishes that are being granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of BC & Yukon as a result of many charitable donations, including dollars from REIBC's Charity Golf Tournament. We received the following email from it's CEO Mr. Ross Hetherington. 

Dear Friends,

Sean’s wish to dig for dinosaurs with Dr. Scott, the palaeontologist came true because of you!

Each wish that you help us grant carries the wish child and their family from a place of uncertainty to a place of hope.

Here is Sean's Circle of Joy wish story with our heartfelt gratitude for helping us share the magic of a wish with so many inspiring kids throughout our province.

It is our hope that you will share it with your groups, teams, employees & friends.

We grant wishes because wishes change lives.

From all of us at Make-A-Wish, but especially from our wish kids,  thank you for helping us share the power of a wish®.

Ross and the Make-A-Wish BC&YK Team 

Career Opportunities

Manager, Investigations - The Office of the Superintendent of Real Estate (OSRE)

Managing Director, Policy and Oversight - The Office of the Superintendent of Real Estate (OSRE)

Senior Manager, Policy and Oversight - The Office of the Superintendent of Real Estate (OSRE)

Manager, Policy and Oversight - The Office of the Superintendent of Real Estate (OSRE)

Property Agent - BC Housing